All of EMU’s ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.Ěý Men’s volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.Ěý With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,558 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2013-14 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.Ěý He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet atĚý. ĚýDon’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC onĚýĚýand followĚýĚýon Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.ĚýĚý

EMU’s ODAC All-Academic Team
Elizabeth Alderfer – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Volleyball
Jordan Aylor – Softball
Becky Barrett – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Tyler Brenneman – Men’s Soccer
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Lauren Campbell – Softball
McKenna Carter – Women’s Volleyball
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Robert Cook – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Paige DeBell – Field Hockey
Tyler Denlinger – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Katie Eckman – Women’s Cross Country
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Erica Garber – Women’s Track & Field
Carlos Garcia – Men’s Track & Field
Abi Gardner – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Joe Hall – Baseball
Rebecca Hardy – Women’s Volleyball
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Morgan Hill – Women’s Soccer
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Brendan Jeschke – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Viktor Kaltenstein – Men’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Louise Krall – Field Hockey
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Landis – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jordan Leaman – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Jake Lind – Men’s Soccer
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Tim Martin – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dilmer Martinez – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Brad Matthias – Baseball
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Macson McGuigan – Men’s Soccer
Chris Miller – Men’s Track & Field
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Nisly – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Ian Norris – Baseball
Nora Osei – Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball
Jolee Paden – Women’s Cross Country
Jesse Parker – Men’s Cross Country
Hannah Patterson – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
D Probst – Women’s Volleyball
Casey Racer – Softball
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Krista Rittenhouse – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Juni Schirch – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Caleb Schlabach – Men’s Golf
Chanel Shands – Women’s Basketball
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Molly Smith – Softball
Nicole Smith – Softball
Ashten Spencer – Women’s Soccer
Mandy Stowers – Field Hockey
Ryan Thomas – Men’s Soccer
Shannan Thompson – Women’s Basketball
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Londen Wheeler – Men’s Track & Field
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Alex Wynn – Men’s Track & Field
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Chris Yoder – Men’s Basketball
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Those honored from ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř were:

Ěý(Hickory, N.C./Fred T. Foard), Sr., Women’s Soccer – Defender, Environmental Sustainability, 3.95 GPA.Ěý Detweiler helped solidify the back row on the soccer team, starting all 19 games for a team which posted five shutouts.Ěý She scored one goal and added two assists.Ěý Detweiler also was named CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District and earned EMU’s President Award, which is the highest honor an EMU student-athlete can receive.

Ěý(Elkton, Va./Spotswood), Sr., Softball – Shortstop, Nursing, 3.63 GPA.Ěý Hensley was a four-year starter at shortstop for the Royals, very effectively balancing an All-ODAC and All-Region career on the field with EMU’s tough nursing major in the classroom.Ěý She batted .306 this year 21 RBIs and a team-best 25 runs.Ěý Hensley graduates with EMU records for career hits (186), career singles (129) and career assists (367).

Ěý(Parkesburg, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), Sr., Women’s Volleyball – Middle Hitter, Nursing, 3.81 GPA.Ěý Kennel also successfully balanced the demands of a sport and the nursing major.Ěý On the court, she led the Royals in a resurgent year with 217 kills.Ěý Kennel was second on the team with 2.19 kills and 0.52 blocks per set.

Ěý(Sterling, Ill./Sterling), Jr., Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field, Congregational Ministry, 3.91 GPA.Ěý Transferring in from Hesston College this year, Landis had a slow start in the fall recovering from an injury, but was hitting his stride by the end of cross country season.Ěý He grabbed All-Region status by running a PR of 26:17.69 at the regional meet, and then broke a program record in the track season.Ěý At the ODAC indoor meet, Landis set EMU’s record in the 5000m, crossing in 15:41.94.Ěý He is also second in the outdoor 5000m (15:25.08) and third in the indoor 3000m (9:06.57).

Ěý(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area), Sr., Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field, Liberal Arts, 3.93 GPA.Ěý Rittenhouse was part of the distance medley relay team which broke an EMU record and won gold at the ODAC Championships with a time of 13:17.17.Ěý She also landed at No. 8 in the EMU history books in outdoor 5000m (19:29.20) and No. 9 in the indoor mile (5:47.15).

Ěý(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), Jr., Men’s Soccer – Keeper, Accounting/Economics, 3.95 GPA.Ěý Completing his second season as EMU’s starting keeper, Yoder made 78 saves in 17 games.Ěý He twice tied his career high with 10 stops in a game and was named to the All-Cialella Classic Team for his play at a tourney the second weekend of the season.

To earn VaSID Academic All-State honors, a student-athlete must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and be at least a sophomore.Ěý Each school in the state is allowed six nominees.

VaSID is comprised of sports information or athletics communications professionals from intercollegiate institutions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Membership is open to any individual affiliated with one of the state’s institutions at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, USCAA and community college levels, provided that individual’s area of responsibility lies within the realm of sports information.

Each of EMU’s sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men’s volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.Ěý The CVC will also release an all-academic team later this summer.

The full ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the sixth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the third year in a row.Ěý With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only, Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only, and Shenandoah University for field hockey and track & field only), 1,350 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2011-12 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.Ěý He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet atĚý. ĚýDon’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (clickĚý) and followĚýĚýon Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.Ěý to see the full list of the ODAC All-Academic Team.

Nels Akerson – Cross Country
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country
Laura Beckler – Women’s Soccer
Bradley Billings – Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden – Softball
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Bethany Crouse – Women’s Soccer
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Allison Eanes – Cross Country
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada – Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Lynae Fry – Women’s Volleyball
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan – Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King – Baseball
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Soccer
Valerie Landis – Field Hockey
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Jenna Longenecker – Field Hockey
Becca Longenecker – Field Hockey
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Thomas Millary – Cross Country, Track & Field
Michelle Miller – Women’s Soccer
Katarina Napfel – Softball
Peter Nelson – Cross Country
Cara Paden – Women’s Soccer, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Stephanie Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Andy Richter – Baseball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Bryce Shank – Men’s Soccer
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Amber Shelly – Women’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Raquel Stoltzfus – Women’s Soccer
Scotty Tiosso – Men’s Soccer
Jon Trice – Baseball
Keri Weaver – Cross Country
Kori Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Taylor Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Roberto Wingfield – Cross Country
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Marla Young – Women’s Basketball
Kelsey Zook – Women’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

presented the awards, which are based on academic achievement, athletic contribution, Christian commitment, leadership, campus involvement and service, as the culmination of the evening.

Richter, a major with a 3.64 GPA, was a four-year pitcher for the baseball team and plans to work in a sales or marketing position.Ěý He was consistently on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and EMU’s Dean’s List.Ěý Besides baseball, his campus life was filled with leadership on , EMU Royals Society and the .Ěý He also volunteered at numerous places off campus.

“You are not an athlete just when you’re in season – you’re an athlete year round,” Richter explained in how he balanced his demanding schedule at EMU.Ěý “Baseball provided me with the discipline I needed to enjoy a busy, but incredibly rewarding college career.”

Young, a captain with the women’s basketball team, was also on the Dean’s List and ODAC All-Academic Team, holding a 3.71 GPA with a major in and minor in .Ěý She was a four-year member of Royals Society, helping with prospective students, as well as being a member of the .Ěý Young was also a youth leader at her church and volunteered with a local food bank and the fall back-to-school backpack drive.

“Being a student-athlete has taught me to be mentally and physically strong in seemingly impossible situations,” said Young, who suffered a long-lasting shoulder injury her freshman season.Ěý “God used basketball as the framework that I could grow in my relationship with Him, share my talents with others, and now go on to pursue a career in physical therapy.”

The Athletic Department staff also voted for Athlete of the Year winners.Ěý Mitchell Leap (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) claimed the men’s honor with Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) taking the women’s.

Leap led the men’s soccer team in scoring for the fourth straight season, netting ten goals, which was also third-best in the conference.Ěý He had five game-winning goals and was named All-ODAC First Team.Ěý Leap graduates fourth in EMU history with 35 career goals and fifth with 80 career points.Ěý Ygarza was a dynamic presence as a power forward for the basketball women, earning a spot on the All-ODAC First Team as a sophomore.Ěý She led EMU with 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and was second in the ODAC in field goal percentage and free throws.

Also at the banquet, Newcomer of the Year Awards were given to Jenessa Derstine (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) in field hockey and Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) in baseball.

Derstine, an attacker for the Lady Royals, led the team with 29 points this year.Ěý She scored ten goals and assisted on nine others.Ěý Her speed helped ignite EMU’s offense and landed her on the All-ODAC Third Team.Ěý Rodriguez batted .374 with 28 runs and team highs of four homeruns and 41 RBIs.Ěý His RBI total was third in the ODAC during the regular season and the third baseman was named All-ODAC Second Team.

As part of the dinner and banquet, four seniors gave short reflections on their time playing a sport at Eastern Mennonite: Valerie Landis (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) from field hockey, Justin King (Lititz, PA/Warwick) from baseball, Pete Nelson (Harrisonburg, VA/Christopher Dock) from track and cross country, and Brent Yoder (Sarasota, FL/Sarasota Christian) from soccer.

King uniquely talked about playing four years of a collegiate sport even though the experience was not living up to the ideas he had beforehand.

“I have learned a lesson I would have not chosen to learn on my own, because it was painful,” said King.Ěý “Through the ups and downs, the wins and losses, I have had to rely on God as my source of hope and strength when I was weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed.Ěý The Apostle Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, ‘Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.Ěý But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’’”

Landis was the lone senior on the field hockey team this fall and stepped into a leadership role which was not natural to her.Ěý She said that will help her as she leaves college.

“I recognize that I am going to be a new member of a completely different team after graduation,” Landis explained. Ěý“What I have learned over the past four years is that I can’t let my age or lack of experience hinder me from being responsible or taking initiative. ĚýGod has granted each of us the experience of being part of a team and it is my hope that we are able to leave this community as an athlete and a graduate and apply those interpersonal skills learned on either the court or field and apply them in the next stage of life, appropriately and meaningfully.”

Dr. Ronald Stoltzfus, Faculty Athletic Representative, and Dr. Nancy Heisey, Undergraduate Academic Dean, presented the Academic Achievement Awards to each team’s individual with the highest GPA.Ěý Those awards went to: Richter and Brad Billings (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) in baseball, Jennifer Blankenship (Bassett, VA/Bassett) in women’s basketball, Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) in men’s basketball, Nels Akerson (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men’s cross country, Alli Eanes (Harrisonburg, VA/Westmont Hilltop) in women’s cross country and track, Jenna Longenecker (Lancaster, PA/Conestoga Valley) in field hockey, Bryce Shank (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men’s soccer, Erica Detweiler (Hickory, NC/Fred T. Foard) in women’s soccer, Aaron Sloan (Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) in men’s track, and Kendall Garber (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) in men’s volleyball.

The evening included a special mention of , a senior student worker with the athletic events staff, who had passed away from cancer just a week prior to the banquet.